CFIA approves Global VetLINK's electronic EIA certification system

CFIA Approves Global VetLINK’s Electronic EIA Certification System

Ames, Iowa (November 14, 2016) – GlobalVetLINK (GVL®) announced today that its electronic Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) certificate system, EquusLINK™, is now approved for use in Canada by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

“GVL worked closely with the CFIA to create an electronic EIA certification system for vets, laboratories and owners, which is now approved for use in Canada,” said Dr. Carolyn James, CFIA Veterinary Program Specialist. “Interested accredited veterinarians have been instructed to refer to their updated manual, where they can find the GVL link or they can contact their district office. We have also indicated that GVL will be reaching out to potential clients in the near future.”

GVL’s EquusLINK system enables veterinarians to digitally create EIA test certificates and submit them to labs immediately, then receive the results from the lab through a single interface.

Currently the Animal Health Lab, University of Guelph is using GVL’s EquusLINK service for EIA certificates with three clinics, including Gallagher Equine Clinic, McMaster-Powell Equine Services and Hennessey Equine.

“Based on discussions with our US colleagues, an electronic solution for regulatory EIA submissions seemed desirable for the time-saving benefits it offers our clients, and we thank the CFIA for taking up this initiative,” said Jim Fairles, Animal Health Lab, University of Guelph Client Services Veterinarian. “We participated as the beta test site in Canada for EquusLINK, and realized the advantages of this system, including paperless submissions, embedded color photographs of horses, and electronic reporting of results. EquusLINK is beneficial in streamlining EIA submissions, and we look forward to bringing this solution to our clients!”

EIA testing occurs throughout Canada and the U.S. with detection continuing in various regions in both countries.

“The EquusLINK system speeds up the process of communication so EIA test results get to the vet and the owner faster, enabling quicker response in case of disease detection,” said Kaylen Williams-Henry, GlobalVetLINK Product Manager. “We’re thankful to the CFIA for helping us bring this system to Canada, offering vets, owners and labs an easy-to-use solution for managing EIA certificates.”

Electronic EIA Certification System

19. Accredited veterinarians have the option of using a CFIA-approved electronic EIA certification system to submit samples and create EIA test certificates. Data fields of the electronic system are based on Form CFIA/ACIA 3937. For contact information, please refer to the List of CFIA-approved Electronic EIA Certification Systems at the end of this section.

20. If using a CFIA-approved electronic EIA certification system, the accredited veterinarian must:

Register with the service provider and receive the necessary training;

Send samples to a CFIA-approved laboratory which is registered with the same provider (laboratory contact information available in Module 3.3);

If the service provider is a U.S. based company, informed consent must be obtained from each client prior to the first time their personal information is input into the CFIA approved electronic EIA certification system. A Consent to Disclose Client Information form will be made available to you by the service provider and will only be required to be filled out once per client. The client's information will be protected under the provisions of the applicable U.S. laws and regulations. Information may be accessible or protected as required pursuant to applicable U.S. laws and regulations. A copy of the completed consent form must be maintained in the client's record.

21. Please refer to 14 above for a description of required information as it applies to an electronic certification system. If required information is missing or not accurate, the accredited veterinarian may, at the owner's request, re-sample the horse for testing and provide a new submission.

22. Ensure that the digital photographs are of good quality by taking into consideration lighting conditions, image resolution, proper positioning of the horse and the absence of objects that could obstruct the animal (e.g. saddle, blanket, structures). Failure to produce good quality photographs may result in the electronic EIA test certificate being rejected by an inspector.

23. Note that all white markings need to be visible on digital photographs, and that the full length of all appendages needs to appear in the photographs. For frontal photographs, if the only markings are on the head, the photograph can be limited to the head. If there are white markings on the front legs, the full length of the legs must be included in the photographs. All descriptor fields are required to be filled. Please use "N/A" or "NONE" if appropriate. If an electronic submission system is used for equines with very detailed markings (e.g. Appaloosas), written descriptions of the white markings are not required and "N/A" can be used in the descriptor fields.

24. Accredited veterinarians are responsible for the security and proper use of their digital signature and shall take reasonable care to prevent its misuse. Only accredited veterinarians are authorized to sign documents using their password protected electronic signature. Other clinic staff does not have the authority to be part of the signing process. Utilization of your electronic signature by anyone other than yourself would be considered a breach of your agreement as an accredited veterinarian and would render the form invalid. Please note that provisions of article 10 from your Accredited Veterinarian Agreement also apply to the electronic submission of documents through an electronic system.

25. Final electronic EIA test certificates are recognized as official EIA test results if they are produced using a CFIA approved electronic EIA certification system. Black and white or colour printed copies of the CFIA-approved electronic EIA test certificate are both acceptable and can be used for domestic use within Canada and as proof of a negative EIA test result for export purposes.

26. For a NEGATIVE EIA test result, the CFIA-approved electronic EIA test certificate is available online in real-time by the owner (optional), the accredited veterinarian, the CFIA-approved laboratory and the CFIA.

27. For a NON-NEGATIVE EIA test result, the system will generate a CFIA-approved electronic EIA test certificate that is watermarked with the word "INCONCLUSIVE". The owner of the equine will be blocked from accessing the electronic inconclusive test certificate on the CFIA-approved electronic EIA certification system. The submitting accredited veterinarian will have access to the electronic inconclusive test certificate but is not to provide the client with a copy of the certificate or report the result to the owner until after confirmatory testing at the EIA National Reference Laboratory is complete. The CFIA district office will contact the accredited veterinarian and the animal's owner once final results are available and inform them of any required actions.